Vacant-land fraud: seller identity checks and recording alerts

What happened in the vacant-land case

On October 20, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts announced an agreement to plead guilty in a case involving alleged sales of vacant properties owned by people living out of state. Prosecutors described impersonation using false identity documents and accounts, followed by property sales and alleged laundering of proceeds.

The alleged scheme involved properties in Massachusetts, Georgia, Indiana and Tennessee. According to the DOJ, the people involved used false identity documents and accounts to convince real estate professionals that they were dealing with the owners. The October 20 announcement described an agreement to plead guilty; a plea hearing had not yet been scheduled at that time.

Seller checks and recording alerts serve different purposes

Checking a seller’s identity happens during a transaction. A county recording alert usually comes after a document enters the public record. The alert can help you find an unfamiliar filing, but it does not stop someone from submitting a document.

The FTC cautions that title-lock services are not title insurance. When comparing an alert or monitoring service, read what it watches, when it sends notices and what help it includes if you find a problem. For county programs, check the recording office’s own instructions: some match names, while others also accept a parcel identifier.

Set up a practical record-checking routine

Start with the county or other recording jurisdiction where your land is located. Look for its recorder, clerk or register of deeds on the local government website. Then work through these steps:

1. Save the official links. Keep the record-search page and the recording office’s contact page somewhere you can find them without relying on an unexpected email.
2. Read the alert program’s terms. Check which names or property identifiers it accepts, how it sends notices and when monitoring begins.
3. Keep an enrollment note. Record what you registered and the activation date. Ask whether the program includes a historical search or only future recordings.
4. Keep your contact details current. An alert sent to an old email address or phone number may never reach you.
5. Inspect an unfamiliar filing. Use the official record-search link to find the document behind a notice. Save the recording date and document reference, and ask the office how to obtain a copy.

Follow the local office’s reporting instructions if you do not recognize the document. An alert is a starting point for checking a record, rather than a conclusion that fraud has occurred.

Own land in more than one county?

Check each recording jurisdiction separately. Confirm the scope of each program rather than assuming one enrollment covers every property you own. Keeping the official links and enrollment details together makes it easier to investigate a notice when you are away from the property.